?
Posted on 03/16/2012 8:32:28 AM PDT by relictele
I once worked in an office building that also housed the IRS. If you think government health initiatives aimed at the general population are overbearing, the ones directed at its own employees are worse.
Still, the IRS staffers gladly accepted the advice to walk laps around the parking lot during the lunch hour in order to promote fitness. The only trouble was that most of them continued to amble around well past the one hour mark and many never returned inside the building. They also tended to take long stationary breaks from the walk and many enjoyed more than one cigarette - I’m guessing that wasn’t part of the directive.
Oh, and don’t dream of being in front of the doors at 3:30 quitting time. This was well before 9/11 but they all flew out of the building like someone had phoned in a bomb threat.
If you like the bureaucracy of the DMV and social security, you'll love Obamacare.
Most of the Social Security office waiting areas I have seen are filled with middle aged minorities with kids in tow sitting around diddling on their $200.00 smart phones.
“Oh, and don’t dream of being in front of the doors at 3:30 quitting time.”
So, considering their 1 hour lunch break to trip the light fantastic around the parking lot, they started work at 0630 to get in an honest 8 hours work plus the hour for lunch?
Of course they did!!!
When they work the increasingly frequent 9/80 schedule where they get ever-other-Friday off and only work 1/2 day on the Friday they are supposed to be at the office... they somehow manage not to show up at all for the Friday they are supposed to work.
In case you have never heard of the 9/80 way of life it is supposed to be eight 9 hour days + one 8 hour day plus one day off each two weeks that somehow turns into what looks more like eight 8 hour days per two weeks for most people.
I think this whole 9/80 thing foolish since 8 hours a day came about as a result of that being when most people begin to lose efficiency and need some rest. Anybody that tells you they regularly work 12 hours a day (save for rotation workers) day after day after day is superhuman or taking economies with the truth.
We work 12 hour shifts on the rigs and come home every 21 / 28 days and need to. We work 12 hour days in the office when we rotate 28 days on and 28 days off when commuting overseas. You’re well ready to get on the plane and come home to rest after that shift. Stateside the days in the office for operations people tend towards 10 hours a day or more and that is enough.
Thanks for the laughs, it takes the sting out just a bit to see what the amber is doing to the fruitfly it encases and embalms.
My minor experiences include the time I discovered that the building location designated for tax forms had no parking area, leaving me to park on the sidewalk, rush inside, find the forms kiosk bereft of the the majority of forms, go to the desk, be ignored while being subjected to the following conversation:
Govt drudge #1: You got a new tattoo? Let’s see it.
Obese govt drudge #2: Take a look! (Lifts pajama like garment to display a hairy, enormous white belly with a raw, raspberry-colored cloud of skin ink that may have been a swan or a three-armed midget in orange pants)
Govt drudge #1: Cool! I just had my third piercing done, check it out!(turns jaw to show off what used to be an ear, but which now looks like the a pair of champagne corks and a swizzle stick wrapped in bacon)
Me(brightly): Say! Can I get Form I-4600?!
Both turned to look at me with contempt, Drudge #2: Someone will be along to help you.(Vaguely pointing at a closed door) If they don’t you can always come back later.
They then picked themselves up and walked off, leaving me in front of a completely empty counter.
Speaking of Februarys...my mother died on the 27th of a February, and the next month, SSA had the bank yank back the entire February stipend.
Walking into a California DMV youy can see the employees wearing SEIU shirts all over the place....taking a number and waiting is unbelieveable and not just that they have shortened days and hours they are open...the State is bankrupt and they keep giving away freebies instead of providing necessary services. It will all come to a head soon, with taxpayers leaving California due to increased taxes, who will pay the freight? Idiot Jerry Brown in charge, still trying to squeeze blood from turnips.
I needed a renewal of my DL last year...6 minutes from walking in to walking out with the new one.
Just got new tags for my truck yesterday...less than 5 minutes.
I'll readily admit to living is a sparsely populated area so that's a factor.
I've only visited the SS office once in my life...15 minute wait because there were a few people ahead of me, but once I was seated at the clerk's desk, she was knowledgeable, efficient and helpful...(so much so, I sent her flowers afterward because she pointed out things I didn't know which were an advantage to me).
Over the years, I've lived in different states and know of which you speak, but that's not the experience here.
Just wait until the same crew of morons are deciding your medical treatment “options” as in, no option.
Hahaha. My wife works at an SSA office. The stories of customers and the gov’t regs makes an interesting mix.
I can’t wait to watch her read this tonight!!!
Thanks for posting!
Not every SS experience is bad. I applied on line, as advised, three months before I was eligible to receive payments. First direct deposit arrived right on time.
Passport renewal, which we had to do in person of course, left me stunned. At the federal building in Honolulu, after some confusion finding the office, we were greeted by smiling staff who helpfully completed the process in a few minutes. We chatted about our plans, they wished us well on our adventure and we were back in the car with half an hour remaining on the meter.
We have to renew our drivers licenses next year though. d:^(
I’m still laughing. The comments are hilarious.
My only experience worth noting when I signed up for Medicare was that I experienced an incredulous clerk who axed me why I waited a whole year after turning 65 to sign up for the program,(procrastination) reminding me that I was going to “get less” now because I signed up late...
to which I responded that with all that Obama has done for the country and our federal entitlement programs, it’s a wonder that any of them are still functional.
The word “Obama” made her eyes get big and for a full 30 seconds(though it seemed much longer), she stopped snapping her gum and stared at me, doing a great Buckwheat impression.
She then recovered from her reverie(probably recalling the columns and the fainting of her friends and family) and finished the paperwork in what seemed to be record time.
Ahhh...Plan A. Check.
I'm more concerned they will determine the approved treatment for constipation to be a 6 foot electrified spike.
I hope I never have to step foot in another Social Security office as long as I live. I don't know which was worse: the clientele, the employees, or the prominent picture of Comrade Zero displayed on the wall.
Man, did FDR leave a steaming pile of crap for us.
Since I’m only 6’1” that’s a serious concern for me as well. :)
I believe some private businesses don’t accept a laminated SSN card either, especially if you try to use it to apply for a mortgage/loan. How about after 9/11, identity theft/terrorism issues have been so sensitive? I heard about that in old days, you could just walk into an SSA office without any ID and get a SSN card declaring whoever you were. And probably it would take less time and trouble to do it. It’s getting much more intense, it’s for sure.
You’re killin’ me!
It’s posts like these and replies like FReeper Gaffer that keep me comin’ back to FR.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.